Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/541265
2 0 1 5 P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L too well. Together, Johnson and Zettel are vying for a spot in the pantheon of great Penn State defensive line tandems. Johnson's 49 tackles were fifth-best on the Nittany Lions' nationally ranked de- fense last season, while Zettel's 17 tackles for loss were second-most in the Big Ten, and his eight sacks put him in a tie for fourth place. A 280-pound three-technique tackle, Zettel also was among the league leaders in a much less likely statistic, pulling in three interceptions, one of which he re- turned for a touchdown against Ohio State. That he was able to sprint 40 yards to the end zone was not the play's biggest oddity; his freakish athletic ability resulted in dozens of game-changing plays throughout the 2014 season. The biggest oddity was that both Zettel and the 325-pound Johnson had dropped into pass coverage on that third-and-6 play. Johnson may be as physically im- posing as any nose tackle in the Big Ten, but he's also extraordinarily quick and agile. After Zettel stepped in front of J.T. Barrett's pass, Johnson kept pace on the return and was among the first to greet Zettel to celebrate the touch- down. "Usually, you see 320-pound guys and they are hole-fillers," Zettel said. "He's that, but in a way he's like Ndamukong Suh. He has the ability to run laterally across the field, make a tackle or just bowl over [and run] right through people. "It's very rare to see a person like that, and I think everybody else realizes it." Franklin has a more succinct description of Johnson, calling the redshirt junior "a big old dancing bear." If only to rib Johnson, Zettel repeats the phrase for effect. "I'd rather them say that than a ballerina, I guess," Johnson said. Zettel was a gifted end who added a few pounds to prepare for his shift inside for the 2014 season. Some observers viewed it as a calculated risk, but Zettel was con- vinced that the size dis- parity he was about to face going up against of- fensive guards would not be the problem many pundits expected it to be. He was right. "He's obviously unique. It's rare that you see somebody his size and his speed being quick with everything he does and not hesitate," Johnson said. "It's just rare that you see somebody move from D- end to D-tackle and have so much suc- cess. "There was no big transition, you just move one gap down. If you put him at end or put him at [the three-technique spot], it's not going to matter. He's going to play the same way. He's just a ridicu- lous player and does everything really well." Zettel's unique skill set creates matchup problems that opponents are ill-equipped to handle. And if they focus on neutralizing him, they become vulnerable in other ways. "There's nothing that you can really do to stop him unless you slide the line to him [and] that's going to leave me free," Johnson said, smiling. "So, lose-lose sit- uation, I guess." SUPPORTING ACT Zettel and Johnson have developed a strong friend- ship over the past three years. "I think we actually have pretty similar per- sonalities," Zettel says. Photo by Mark Selders